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One Of The Ex-Cops Charged In George Floyd’s Death Is Released On Bail
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane had been on the job for just four days when George Floyd died after fellow cop Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
One of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in connection with the death of George Floyd was released from jail Wednesday afternoon after posting bond.
Thomas Lane, who had been on the job just four days when Floyd was killed, was released on a $750,000 conditional bail at 4:08 p.m. Wednesday, according to Hennepin County jail records.
Lane is facing charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter after Floyd's death during an arrest. Two other former officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, are also charged with aiding and abetting.
Fellow former officer Derek Chauvin—who was seen on video pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as the 46-year-old pleaded that he couldn't breathe—has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Lane’s attorney Earl Gray said in a court appearance last week that Lane had been working for the Minneapolis Police Department for just four days when Floyd was killed, local station KARE reports.
Gray said that while holding down Floyd’s legs so he couldn’t kick, Lane asked Chauvin twice whether they should turn Floyd over; however, Chauvin allegedly replied, "No, staying put where we got him."
“What is my client supposed to do but follow what the training officer said?” Gray asked.
Gray also said he believed Lane “did everything he was supposed to do as a police officer” and also tried to perform CPR on Floyd in the ambulance.
He has described the case against his client as “weak,” local station WCCO reports.
“(Lane was) pounding on this guy trying to revive him. Where is the willful intent?” he said.
Gray stirred controversy earlier this week when he suggested during a CNN interview that bystanders, not Chauvin's fellow officers, were to blame for not intervening. He quickly backtracked from those comments during the same interview.
Gray told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that he planned to file a motion to dismiss the charges against Lane.
Floyd’s death has sparked outrage across the country as protesters have taken to the streets to demand justice and police reforms. In Minneapolis, city council members have announced they plan to defund and dismantle the Minneapolis police department and plan to focus on a more community-based approach instead.
The three remaining officers charged in Floyd’s death remain behind bars as of Thursday morning, according to jail records.
